ONE …

Today was Mina’s final chemotherapy treatment in the modified Wisconsin protocol. It was supposed to take 19 weeks but lasted 20 weeks because of a few days gap between her first Vincristine IV and the Cytoxan. She got sick and had to go to the ER, remember?

This past week has been great. No vomiting, no nausea, no diarrhea, lots and lots of eating – so much eating that I had to cook chickens two days in a row! She’s felt really great.

Continue twice weekly baths with Malaseb (or equivalent) shampoo to treat yeast/bacerial dermatitis. Could do intermittent warm water baths to soothe her skin and wash off residual shampoo residue as well.

Monitor closely for signs of cancer relapse – enlarged lymph nodes. Should palpate peripheral lymph nodes at home when possible and bring her back here or to Dr. Cliver in 3 weeks for full exam.

There is no way to tell how long Mina’s cancer will stay in remission. Some dogs will got 6-8 months with no relapse while other dogs will relapse in 8 weeks. The only way to tell is to monitor her lymph nodes closely. If Mina were to relapse, we may discuss re-inducing with the 19 week lymphoma protocol or treating with alternate drugs.

So, there you have it, all of it. Mina needs to be examined once per month and we’ll do that at Dr. Cliver’s because I really think I’d have to carry Mina to get her inside the doors at VIMP again. She is so done with weekly vet visits, lemme tell ya.

Allyson showed me how to check her lymph nodes, starting with the left popliteal. It didn’t feel like much, sort of a little bump on the back of her leg. Then she showed me how to feel for the ones under her chin, which are the ones I felt way back in April when she had the nosebleed at PWEVC.

Just one more ...

Mina barked and carried on from the time Allyson brought her out to me until we walked out the door. When we got home she ate a good portion of beef/eggs and drank a lot of water. She’s very perky. I’m feeling pretty good, too. I’ve said all along that I want Mina to have a few months of life without cancer so she can enjoy herself. She’s 80 years old, she’s very spry, and right now I have to go squeeze the stuffin’s out of her.

I’m very proud of you both — you did it! I don’t know if you see it but, I’d bet your cronies would agree with me on this, you both have grown so much these last 20 weeks. You’ve left behind an extremely helpful journal (who knew Mina could write so well!) documenting what can be expected when treating like cancer and how it is dealt with in the family, both mentally, physically, and financially. I will miss your daily entries and photos if you should decide to concentrate on your blog and step away from the Cancer blog, but let me say this; it gives me great joy to read about you girls — I miss you! I think you should continue this blog, even if it’s not in your usual daily entry style, it’s still an entry. There’s so much negativity in the news surrounding our animal friends in this world, that it’s nice to hear positive news or news that is in favor of helping our animal friends. I’ve also seen positive changes in you. I know when I’m upset, writing makes me feel better. Lastly, the steps after treatment are just as important as the treatment itself. Cherry on top of the vegan ice cream scenario; you already have a wonderful memory of Mina, forever!

I plan to keep it going, but not the every day entries. I’ll post when something notable, or really cute, happens to keep everyone updated. Thanks for all your support and for listening when I panicked, ranted, or just couldn’t talk about anything else but the damn cancer!